Just Another War Story
by KroganVanguard
Summary: A Kink Meme Prompt fill about a young human soldier falling in love with a female turian counterpart. Set over the course of ME3 and contains many, many OCs. Eventually it will earn the M rating.
1. Chapter 1

KinkMeme Prompt Fill

_Young Human Romances Turian - F!Turian/M!Human _

_So we've got a young human recruit, just some gung-ho kid who's fresh out of high school. Enlisted because he spent his entire colony life watching the vids of Commander Shepard and all her adventures. He wants to be just like her: a hero._

_And we've got a career turian soldier. She's seen many things in her time serving the Hierarchy, and not all of it was good. She never really took the time to smell the roses, so to speak._

_And then the reapers happen. Monumental suck for the whole galaxy. _

_These two are thrown together somehow and they spend the war fighting reapers, geth, and cerberus. She, much to her chagrin, spends most of that time making sure the rookie doesn't get himself killed, saves his life many, MANY times._

_Because of this, he falls for this turian warrior goddess and starts to court her, much to the turian's surprise. I'm talking really sappy (but still sweet) stuff, like poems and flowers. Maybe he tries to serenade her with his (really bad) guitar skills._

_Let's say in this story, turians aren't really hit on by other races besides asari, so this attraction is not really common. Nevertheless, she is flattered and just might reciprocate._

* * *

"Hey Tereena, the human's yours. Try and keep him alive."

Tereena Elandrus flicked her eyes over to the human. He sat across from her, eyes fixed firmly at the floor, his Avenger sitting across his lap. His coal-dark skin was the colour of Kivoshian brandy, and his armour didn't have a scratch on it at all. She leaned forward, and cleared her throat to catch his attention. He looked up at her, and in those eyes she saw the nerves of a first-timer. Great.

"Got a name, human?" She drawled.

"Dominic. Lieutenant Dominic Carter, 144th Alliance Marines Regiment." His voice was even at least, though now he was fiddling with the stock of the Avenger.

"Carter. Got it. How'd you end up here with us?" A little basic conversation, just to put him at ease. The shuttle thrummed along, briefly sliding through atmospheric turbulence.

"I was visiting my sister. Just graduated from the Academy. Had two weeks leave before my first posting. She works for a Turian heavy industrial manufacturer as a consultant on human customers and sales. My bad luck that the Reapers showed up." His eyes flick to the other side of the shuttle, where the rest of her cabal are doing their usual pre-mission thing. Jorus and Alvar are playing cards, and Dalana, their commander, is reading something on her omni-tool. Probably a romance novel. She loved that sappy shit.

"And, how do you like our fair Turian colony? Before it got hit by Reaper troops of course?" The cabal hadn't been posted to Reltrix long, only a couple of months. It was a pleasant enough place, but no Palaven.

"It's nice. Hopefully my sister can get on one of the evac ships before long. The quartermaster said finding levo food might be a bit of problem…" His voice trailed off. The realities of working with aliens.

"Don't worry about that. Stay alive, and we'll find you food."

"Sure, yeah."

"OK, Carter. Biotic capabilities?" Tereena knows he must've been assigned to work along their cabal unit only if he was a biotic. Otherwise he'd be elsewhere. Maybe even on his way home. But the senior command knew biotics were too rare and too useful to be wasted. Even green as grass human ones.

"I can do a pretty good singularity. Throw out a warp ball. L-5s amps are fairly strong."

"OK. We stick together. Cover the rest of the unit's flanks. You prime with singularity or warp, I'll detonate with throw or cluster grenades, and will stasis if necessary." She quirked her mandibles into a quick, hopefully reassuring smile. He nervously grinned back.

"Oh…OK. Sure." Carter nods his head like a puppy and Tereena rolls her eyes a little. A fresh-from-the-Academy biotic graduate, who has never seen combat before. She hopes the human remembers to shoot the enemy forces, and not them.

* * *

"Warp on the banshee, Carter! Now!" Stuck behind low cover, pinned down by a couple of Marauders, her Phaeston barks out in vain. The human has not been a total loss on the mission, though he has had a hard time keeping up with their polished and practiced movements.

A sizzling blue ball goes flying past her head, straight at the screaming Reaper unit, and she follows up with her own biotic mnemonic, pushing out a throw for a biotic explosion. That does for the banshee, but instantly she sees the kid do something stupid when runs out into the open and murderous Marauder crossfire.

"No, idiot! Get back into cover!" Tereena is up and moving before she's finished yelling, one hand moving to her last remaining cluster grenade and unhitching it from her belt. She slides in behind a concrete wall, and throws the grenade in one smooth motion at the two Reaper soldiers. Carter is somewhere around the corner, and there fire is concentrated on him, so her grenade catches them by surprise. As soon as she hears the solid boom, she's up and running, gun ready to dispose anything around the corner.

Carter is sprawled next to an overturned vehicle, bleeding from somewhere near his shoulder, face scrunched in pain.

"You idiot. Fucking son of a varren. Was I not clear? Were you not supposed to stay in cover?" She ducks down next to him, and checks whether the coast is clear. With no enemies in sight, she squeezes out some medigel and looks at him expectantly.

"So…sorry. Got a bit gung-ho there. Just wanted to- I'm not sure. Won't happen again." He unbuckles his armour with a look of contrition, and she gently slathers medigel across the wound. "Thanks for saving my life."

"Just stay alive, boy. Leave being a hero to Shepard and Vakarian." Her voice is terse, with a note of steel. Carter's skin is soft under her talons. She's never touched a human before. She didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't this.

"Tereena, status." Dalana's voice cuts across the comm channel.

"Carter's injured, but nothing serious. All Reaper forces in immediate vicinity are clear."

"Understood. Command wants us to hack some intelligence nodes in the south-west quadrant. Meet us there." Carter is finished buckling his armour back on as Dalana's voice cuts out as abruptly as it cut in. He refreshes his thermal clip with a new one, and nods at her, a little less puppy-like this time.

"Lead the way, ma'am."

"Alright, follow me. Although we have got to get you a better gun. That Avenger is a piece of pyjack shit. Can't believe its Alliance issue…"

They traipse off together towards the co-ordinate, watching each others' backs.


	2. Chapter 2

Extraction is a clusterfuck. Dalana's poison striking all over the place, trying to keep the Reaper forces off-guard. Jorus took a Brute claw-swipe to knee, and is perched at the back, trying to nail headshots and not move his leg. Alvar throws a grenade into a pack of three cannibals. The air is hot with the whine of bullet s and the thump of biotic explosions.

Tereena risks a quick glance at Carter. He is near Jorus, and as she watches his summons up some reserves of energy to throw out a singularity near a chokepoint to the west, holding up some of the troops. She follows up with a throw.

"Shuttle inbound. Drop back to the EZ, shuttle inbound in 20 seconds." Dalana follows her own order, phasing through a wall and next to Tereena, her Eviscerator's barrel still glowing hot from discharge.

"Tereena, go!" They take off together towards the others, sprinting hard. The last few metres to the shuttle seem like miles, and she can see Alvar and Jorus already on board, the former helping Carter on who turns around and sends a warp flying past her. She doesn't risk a look back, instead opting for a running leap into the doorway, Dalana moments behind.

Small arms fire peppers the shuttle as they fly away, the cabal collapsing into seats, Carter right next to her. She can't stop sharing an exhausted but exultant grin with her fellow turians. Another successful operation is always reason to be happy. Especially one with no losses. She glances at the human next to her. Carter has a sort of manic, wild-eyed look on his face. She knows that one, the post-combat adrenalin high that rookies are never prepared for. She flicks his thigh with a talon.

"So, Carter. Anything broken? How's the shoulder?" She struggles to keep her own tone neutral. He needs to hear her be calm and measured, something he can try to emulate.

"Hurts, but you know, OK. Need food, am starving. Don't think I've ever used my biotics like that before." The wild-eyed look is fading a little, a good sign.

"Yeah, I hear ya kid." She points a talon at Alvar, chewing on a protein bar. "See if you can get some levo-variants of those from somewhere. They're a lifesaver." She doesn't rummage around for her own. The poor kid is semi-drooling as it is, and it would cruel to wave one right under his nose. Despite the pangs in her stomach.

He nods at her, understanding, then leans back against the wall of the shuttle and closes his eyes. Good. Even if he doesn't sleep, it'll calm him down. A few moments later his shoulder bumps into hers, and stays there. She doesn't move away. The shuttle flies serenely on back to base.

* * *

Tereena doesn't see him again till a couple of days later, when she walks into the mess. None of the other members of the cabal are around- Jorus is still in medbay, Dalana is off at intel briefings, and Alvar is probably trying to get his hands on contra-band while the war is still young. A couple of others she knows wave her over to their table, but her eyes are caught by him, forlornly pushing around some grey sludge on his plate. Alone. She doesn't think too hard about what she's doing, but simply goes to his table and sits across from him. A couple of the others stare briefly, but not too openly. He smiles brightly up at her as she sits down, and she favours him with a quick grin back.

"So, I see they found you some levo…food." She can't quite keep the distaste from colouring her tone. It looks even worse up close. He stares down at it mournfully.

"I don't think your base cook even knew what he was cooking. I certainly don't." He continues to pick at it with a two-pronged fork.

"Yeah, they might've had that lying around since the Relay 314 Incident. Used it to torture the prisoners," she deadpans while tucking into her own lunch. Poor kid isn't really likely to find much better out here. He'll have to get used to it.

"Thanks. You're so good at keeping morale up." He deadpans right back. She quirks her mandibles. Good, a bit of fire. He'll need that too. She isn't really sure if that human psyche is all that similar to turians, but if it is, his odds of surviving the next week or two might have just crept up a little.

"Hey, hey, hey newbie. One successful extraction doesn't turn you into Septimus Oraka, hero of the Fleet. I'll kick your ass in the training ring if I need to, to keep you in line." She eases the sting out of the words, and he nods in understanding. "And eat up, soldier. You'll need it, trust me."

"Yes ma'am."

"Did your sister make it off world?" She knows that evacuation has stepped up a notch in recent days, since they came back from their strike. Reaper forces having been stepping up the pressure across the planet. Most of the citizenry are already organised in their militias, ready to fight, but certain personnel like aliens and those who are too young or old will definitely need to be shipped off.

"Yes. She caught transport out to the Citadel last night." He shrugs, takes a couple of bites of the sludge, and then visibly swallows. "Not that there's any guarantee of safety there either."

"True." Carter might be green, but he isn't an idiot. This war will ravage the whole galaxy before too long. Anyone who thought differently was in denial.

"What about you, any family?" The question catches her somewhat off-guard. His tone is a bit diffident, and his eyes are firmly fixed on his plate. She decides to give him a break.

"No, not really. Single child of a single parent. Mom died a few years back. Cancer. Closest thing I have to family out there is an ex-husband. Fighter pilot with Artimec Wing. We don't keep in touch." He looks up at her sharply when she mentions Dex, not expecting that. She lets him off the hook with a wave of her right hand.

"I…see."

"And you? Apart from your sister?" She's finished plowing through her lunch, and leisurely licks the dextro-chocolate bar they've somehow gotten today. His eyes narrow at it, then fixate firmly over her shoulder. Curious. Maybe he's just jealous of the chocolate. Instead of savouring it like she wants to, Tereena chews through it quickly.

"We're colony kids. My dads are still back on Watson. Da is a maths teacher, and Dad works in colonial administration. Jen and I couldn't wait to escape, really. She got the brains, went to Earth to study on a scholarship. I got biotics, so the Alliance it was." His eyes become animated and warm when talking about his family, and she senses a childhood quite different to her own.

"Have you heard from them? Since…"

"No. I thought about telling them to go to Earth, but what's the point. You just have to cross your fingers and hope." He's finally finished forcing down his food, and she knows just the thing to get his mind off this pessimistic track.

"Come on then. I called in a favour with a buddy of mine who works in the quartermaster's office. Let's go down to the armoury and get you a nicer gun."


	3. Chapter 3

"Tereena, you owe me a date!"

"Castus you dog. I said I'd go on a date with you if the world was ending. The Reaper invasion does NOT count. Not yet anyway." She winks at him as she walks into the armoury, Carter trailing behind, unsure of his surroundings. "Besides, your wife would not be happy."

"True, true. Her temper isn't to be trifled with. Unless I'm in the mood for make-up or hatesex. Who's the human?" He pokes an inquisitive talon at Carter, before coming limping around the corner to inspect him a bit thoroughly. Tereena is slightly impressed with the way Carter stares right back at him. Castus is an imposing figure, broad-shouldered and muscular for a turian. If not for the proximity mine incident, he'd be leading an infantry company by now.

"Lieutenant Dominic Carter, Alliance Marines."

"So, you're the one Tereena has me digging through old boxes of human relics and scavenged contraband for? Hope you appreciate the favour she's doing. I will appreciate the fine bottle of 2173 South Mengoskan scotch." Castus favours her with a grin, and she shrugs back before looking at Carter.

"Uhh. Yes, yes I do." He catches her and mouths a thank you.

"Don't sweat it. The easier you kill stuff, the easier we all stay alive." She strides over to help Castus with the box he's managed to pull off one of the shelves, before they head back to the counter.

"Lets see now. What've we got here? Oh, a Carnifex III. Never a bad choice. Decent stopping power, decent range, fairly lightweight. A Mattock V. Hmm. You like working your trigger finger?" Castus is methodically working his way through the crate, discarding the ones not in working condition, pushing others towards Carter, who looks a bit bewildered. She walks over to him and starts organizing the guns Castus is handing out in piles, and in a second he joins her.

"Oh, a Shuriken X, that's trash, you won't want that. Ahh the Viper, a classic, a classic…"

Before long they've figured out exactly what's there for Carter to choose from, but he looks like Jorus at a bakery. An asari would go from maiden to matriarch if he was actually like that. She made another executive decision.

"Come on, we'll take some of these to the range. You can try them out, and I can teach you how to shoot. Or at least try and beat whatever bad habits your human instructors managed to instil out of you." He looks up at her a little balefully. Needling him is fun.

He picks the Viper, the Carnifex, the Mattock and battered old Katana. There is a definite gleam in his eye with the Mattock though. She nods gratefully at Castus as he starts packing up as they stride out.

The range isn't too far from the armoury, but they attract a lot of glances as per usual. Well mostly Carter. A human on a turian military base is a very incongruous sight still, though they'll have stranger bedfellows before the war is done, she knows.

She catches a glimpse of the two of them in the polished metal wall of one of the buildings they're walking past. He's tall for a human, just as tall as her. Coal-dark skin and watchful but warm brown eyes, hair cropped short in the standard human military style. Lean and muscular, that hardness she's felt behind that soft skin. Like iron behind velvet. She's not sure if he's considered attractive by human standards or not. Her eyes brush over her own reflection next. Grey-green plated skin, facepaint the standard Palaven blue. Mandibles slightly too long to be considered beautiful. A waist that could be more supportive, she's always thought. An old lament, since her teenage years. Emerald green eyes that glitter in reflection, and a pale scar along her right cheek that extends along her fringe to the side of her face.

Tereena reaches up to run a talon along that scar as they walk past their reflections and into the armoury doors. A memento from an old mission. One of her first. One of her ugliest.

"Alright Carter, time to show me your best moves. Show me what you got."

* * *

"That's twice now. I better start keeping a tally at this rate."

"Me too. 1 for me." Jorus drops into a seat next to them, holding out a blue bottle for Tereena, and a green one for Carter. All are cold. She takes a sip from hers, letting the bittersweet alcohol slide down her throat and feels a little tension slide out of her spine at the same time. Carter gingerly takes a sip of his, and then breaks into a smile before taking a longer gulp. At least Jorus had managed to rustle up some levo-beer from somewhere. After the food he was being forced to eat, Tereena figured he deserved that much.

"It was the same situation. How can it count double?" Carter questions.

_It was meant to be a quick intelligence raid. Gather some Reaper code fragments so the intelligence analysts could get a read on troop movement possibilities. Maybe allow a counterstrike by the jetpack boys. Tereena hadn't expected things to go to plan, and they hadn't. A dogged firefight had ensued, with Carter holding a little more of his own this time, his Mattock spitting out death in bursts in between biotic explosions and screams of the Reaper troops._

_She hadn't had too much time to watch over him though, as wave after wave of cannibals and husks had assaulted their positions. Only a lucky glance aside had shown her he was being flanked unawares. Moments before the cannibal could leap on him and administer what they had nicknamed the death-hug, she summoned the energy to put out a stasis field to capture it._

_"Carter, watch your flank!" He rolled away instantly at the sound of her voice, and seconds later a triple-burst of bullets stitched up the body of the frozen cannibal before popping its head. She turned her head and acknowledged the precise shooting of Jorus and his Incisor with a quick nod._

_They moved on to the next foe._

"She saved you. I got the kill. Easily counts double." Jorus winked at her. "Would've counted triple if I'd killed him with my Tech Armour, but you can't have everything."

"You get kills with Tech Armour?" Carter's eyes have widened, and Tereena struggles to conceal a snort of laughter. Hazing of the rookies. A time-honoured tradition.

"Hah! Forget that poser. I got a killstreak with my Tech Armour once. A gaggle of husks surrounding me." Alvar joins them, a bottle in his hand too, his basso rumble a pitch deeper than the rest of the voices in the makeshift bar.

Carter's eyes widen again, almost cartoonishly so. His face is very expressive. Its almost cute. She has a hard time keeping up with his expressions, actually, but when his eyes narrow a moment later, she knows he's caught on to the duo.

"Yeah, yeah, at least I can roll out of the way of incoming fire."

Tereena sits back, watches the boys banter with half-hooded eyes. Jorus had snuck out of the medbay an hour before the op had started, probably sweet-talked some unsuspecting nurse into thinking he just wanted to go out for a walk or something. She'd bully him back to the doctors later. They'd earned the drinks first.

A few moments later, Carter steps up to get them refills, but before he walks off, he drops a warm hand on her bare shoulder and holds her eyes. His are pools of dark chocolate, warm like the Palaven sun.

"Seriously, Tereena. Thank you."

She doesn't acknowledge the twinge in the pit of her stomach.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey, you OK?"

He's sitting outside the shuttlepad, shoulders slumped, datapad in hand. Tereena didn't expect to find him here on the tail end of her morning run, but even from behind she can see his broad back and shoulders drooping.

"Oh, hey. Just trying to get some news on Watson." He waves the datapad at her, keeps starting out at the shuttles, most glistening in the morning sun. News is not good. News filters down to them slowly, with most of the comm network reserved for critical war data. The situation is grim, both on Earth and Palaven.

The Council races are each pulling back to try and defend their homeworlds and colonies, and the Reaper advance seems inexorable. There are rumours though. A whisper here, a have-you-heard there. Shepard had made it off Earth. On the Normandy. She was with Vakarian. And T'Soni. She was trying to convene a peace summit. Enlist the krogan. She was alive. She was kicking. She had a plan. It's not much. But it's something. Its hope.

"Chin up. No news might be good news." She tries to inject belief into her voice, and the tired smile Carter gives her as she slides down to sit beside him indicates at least he appreciated the effort.

"True. I heard from my sister at least. Their ship made it to the Citadel. She's joining up." There is a note of pride in his voice. She wants to meet this sister she's heard so much about.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Jen said she couldn't let her little brother hog all the glory. Words to that effect. Joined the Citadel Defence Force. They've got her in logistics, co-ordinating supply shipments. Give her a month, she'll be running the show."

"No doubt." They sit for a moment in comfortable, companionable silence, enjoying the rare moment of peace.

"So. Heard an interesting rumour." He's angling for something. Tereena wonders which rumour Carter was talking about. The base was swirling with them.

"Yeah? Don't believe anything you heard about Dalana and a krogan stripper. The Armiger boys made that up when we whipped them on exercise a couple of months back." She keeps her voice dead even, and is rewarded by the dumbstruck look his face as he no doubt pictures the Cabal commander and a naked krogan. The grin she's trying to contain almost claws its way out onto her mandibles but she forces it down at the last second.

"Oh. I mean, not that one. Wait- male krogan or female krogan? Wait, wait, wait. I don't even want to know. No, I meant I heard we- the Cabal might be shipping out. Offworld."

"Yeah I heard that too. Could be. Reltrix here isn't that important, strategically, and the Reaper invasion hasn't been that heavy. We could be getting sent to where the fires are hotter." She jabs out a talon out towards the sky to emphasise her point. Tereena has heard that a couple of Reaper destroyers have hit mostly-evacuated cities, but largely it's been ground troops. And certainly none of the largest Reapers, the dreadnought-sized ones, have shown up. Clearly the Hierarchy has miscalculated.

"Oh. OK." He looks out pensively at the shuttles, and she thinks about what's going through his mind. If they ship out, he'll probably be sent back to the Alliance, rejoin a human unit. She'd have thought he would be overjoyed at the prospect. Apparently not. She wonders why.

Later in the day she stops by Dalana's quarters to have a brief chat, but from just outside the door she can hear his voice. Before she can help herself, Tereena stops to listen in.

"…request to stay with the Cabal unit…believe I can be asset…appreciate the mentoring from Tereena..."

She turns and walks away quickly, not caring to examine what she is feeling.

* * *

Their last mission on Reltrix is their smoothest. Carter's been training and shooting and working with them for weeks now, and it shows. He knows exactly where to place the singularity, knows which lines of fire to leave clear for Alvar and Jorus, exactly when to prime for Dalana's movements. Most of all, Tereena knows they have found a sync together. She can almost tell exactly when he'll launch a warp, and towards which target, and whether she should follow up with a throw or a grenade. Carter knows when she's running low on thermal clips, and will silently hand her one in the middle of fierce combat. Once before even she knew she was going to need it.

Carter is learning too. Learning to sense the ebb-and-flow of battle. When to press an advantage, when to drop back. Even his shooting has improved, which is reward for the hours she has spent with him at the shooting range, and the hours more he has spent there by himself. It's gotten to the point where Jorus and Alvar noticed during that last mission, and Carter broke out in a broad grin when Alvar called out a headshot on a cannibal with the customary "textbook!" usually reserved for Jorus and his sniping.

On the shuttle back to base, she's sitting near the front, watching Alvar and Jorus deal him to their game for the first time. Tereena has no doubts they'll clean him out the first couple of games. Either he'll learn or stop playing.

"He likes you." Dalana whispers sinks into the seat next to her. The Cabals are much less formal, much less hierarchical than the rest of the turian military. It's one of the reasons the regular forces distrust them a little. They can't comprehend operating outside of strict lines of command.

"Who?" Tereena flicks her mandibles in confusion. They all like her, of course, and she likes them.

"The human boy. Carter." There's an amused edge to her commander's voice, as if she's enjoying this all very much.

"Carter? Of course he likes me. I've save his life at least 3 times now."

"No, I mean he _likes_ you."

"Oh…oh. No. Carter? No." She pauses, and looks at him again, head bowed over his cards, an easy smile on his face. Surely not. "You're wrong."

"Mhhmmm. The way he follows you around. Hangs on your every word. Requests NOT to be transferred to another unit or back to the Alliance." Dalana is openly grinning now.

"Hang on, you're the xenophile in this Cabal. He's all yours, if you want." She attempts to deflect the conversation back, scrabbling for safer, funnier ground.

"Oh Tereena, you mean that asari when we got drunk after joint manoeuvers a couple of years back?" Dalana flicks her talons lazily. "Vangiux and I have an arrangement. We're faithful. But asari don't count, for either of us. A free pass if you will, because we both enjoy…embracing eternity."

If Tereena draws her mandibles together in semi-embarrassment. That's a little more information that she wanted to know about her commander's bonding. She must be feeling the post-combat high herself.

"How is the Lieutenant-General, anyway?"

"Oh you know Vangiux. Probably fretting away in his command post that he isn't leading the troops personally. His mail gets vetted so I don't know where he is exactly. And stop trying to change the subject." She shakes her head slowly as she speaks, letting Tereena know she has caught onto her.

"I…OK. But you're wrong about Carter."

"Am I? We'll see." Dalana shrugs before settling back into her seat and closing her eyes. She likes to try and nap as a way to settle down after the mission. But not before she has the last word. "Oh and Tereena? You like him too."


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Thanks for all the comments and feedback folks, much appreciated. It's my first time writing something of this length and they help a lot. _

* * *

The troopship is dusty, crowded and loud, full to the brim with troops pulled out from the shadow war on Reltrix for more serious battlefronts elsewhere. The entire Cabal only has a four-bunk room to themselves, so they sleep in shifts as the ship jumps in and out of a few system, dropping off troops there, picking them up here. A journey that should be taking them a few days is now taking them over a week.

Carter handles being the only non-turian on the ship well. He even spars a couple of rounds with Jorus and Alvar, showing the others that he is no soft touch. The fact he's a biotic and mostly spends time with the Cabal keeps off the radar of the others. They've all snuck on board extra rations for him, as the ship hands him out past-its-prime dried ready meals that look as appetising as wet paper and taste about the same.

Most of all, there just isn't anything to do, and she's going stir-crazy trying to keep herself occupied, so when he suggests a friendly bout of biotic sparring, she jumps at the chance. Dalana, Alvar and Jorus have the cabin, and the rest of the ship is in off-shift, so the make-shift training area on lower cargo deck is actually pretty empty. A couple of soldiers are at the back working out, and there's some ship crew doing maintenance on one of the hatches, but that's it.

They're both dressed in loose but fitted clothes, the dark blue of his outfit quite flattering against his black skin, and matching well the blue aura flickering around his hands and fingers. They circle each other, her feet falling softly on the padded floor, her own talons wreathed in biotic energy, dark brown eyes matching her hard green ones. Suddenly he comes for her, leading with a biotic push, and she's ready and sidestepping and moving in with a biotic punch of her own, and he's countering and rolling under her and scissoring his legs and she has to jump out the way and in a heartbeat the first contact is done. Carter has a slight grin on his face to match the one on hers. She's always enjoyed this. This physical contest. No thoughts, no fears, no worries, just plain speed and strength and biotics matched against each other. He had taken to it like a natural , all grace and strength, though he needed to work on his speed and technique.

This time she went on the offensive, lashing out with a kick, and then using the moment to launch a throw at him when he backed up. He was an instant to slow to react and stumbled while trying to deflect the attack with a barrier, and she was instantly on him, following up, talons at his throat.

"Conceded. Point to you." His disappointment shows in his voice.

"Almost there though. You're coming on." She encourages him. Apparently human biotics don't train like this unarmed combat, though she doesn't understand why not. He gets ready and they clash again, and again. A biotic punch from him Is going to leave bruises. Her talons score his forearm as she flips end-over-end. His sweat feels slick against her plates likes warm rain. It's not unpleasant.

She goes in for an attack, but she's tired now, and slow, and he can see it coming. He steps inside the attack, hooks a leg behind her, but she's read his movement and twists her hips and flicks, transferring her weight and moving a way no human possibly could. It catches him off guard, but he manages to grab on to her collar on his way down, dragging her with him. Suddenly, she over him, talons braced on either side of his large forearms, a sheen to his skin, his hair shiny too. Her knees are braced either side of his, and his neck pulses enticingly beneath her. She has very consciously not thought about the conversation with Dalana on the shuttle since then, and she will not now.

She lets her eyes drift to meet his. His face is, for once, blank and his half-hooded eyes give her nothing to go on. He is breathing slightly deeply and quickly. Something that probably indicates discomfort in human, so she moves and rolls off him, missing the disappointment that flashes across his eyes.

* * *

"So, there's good and there's bad news." The rest of the cabal is in the cabin, just lounging as Dalana walks in. The boys are playing a new game that Carter's teaching them. Taxes-holds-out. Or something like that anyway. Tereena traded away some perfume she'd smuggled out from Reltrix to some lovestruck navigation ensign for a handful of new books, one of which she was reading. The perfume had served its purpose well. It was always funny what became valuable in wartime.

"Good news first. Check." Jorus drawls.

"Ok, since you asked so nicely. High Command has declassified intel. Commander Shepard has negotiated a compact on Tuchanka between krogan clan leader Urdnot Wrex and Primarch Victus. Krogan ground troops will deploy on Palaven against Reaper forces in a matter of days. "

There was pin-drop silence in the room. Tereena struggled to wrap her mind around the bombshell. For the entirety of her adult life, there had existed animosity between krogans and turians. The Cabal had even gotten into a bar brawl with a pair of krogan mercs while on shore leave once, over nothing but a couple of sneering looks and an insult about their parentage. Krogan troops landing on Palaven not as invaders, but allies…that boggled the mind. Her eyes met Alvar's who was struggling to keep it cool himself, while Jorus was not even trying to contain himself.

"Seriously? SERIOUSLY? Spirits preserve us. Fucking Shepard. Fucking Vakarian. Fucking Victus…fucking Wrex. Holyyyyyyyyy shit. Haha, we might just have a chance yet." He thumped Carter on the shoulder, who winced from the impact. The human was the only one who looked nonplussed at the news. He doesn't get it. He probably never will. She catches his eye and grins at him, indicating he should play along. He smiles back, and does, clapping Jorus back in return.

"I know I kept a bottle of Kivoshian rum somewhere around here. We definitely need to drink to mark this momentous occasion." Jorus is now rummaging through his storage locker, and no one has the heart to stop him. This is the first piece of good news they've heard about the war in days, if not weeks.

"Wait. Sorry to spoil the mood, but before we get hammered and start toasting to krogan quads, what's the bad news?" She cut in before the party got started in earnest, and Dalana nodded at her in acknowledgement.

"Change of assignments. The Alliance has discovered a large Cerberus presence on one of their colonies in a nearby system, and asked for any and all help any allied forces can provide. In their wisdom, Command has decided we're going to assist the local Alliance presence. We shuttle off tomorrow, plenty of dextro-rations in tow." Now it was the turians' turn to look confused as Carter frowned at the news.

"Cerberus…human terrorist group, right? Anti-alien, that kind of thing?" Alvar quirks his mandibles inquisitively at Carter, who shrugs in response.

"Yeah. Rumour is that Shepard used to work for them though. And they used to be Alliance black ops or something. No one really knows. I dunno, seems kinda stupid to stop fighting the Reapers to go fight other humans…" His voice trailed off in disbelief. Poor kid retained some edge of optimism. Tereena knew they'd see the worst of all turian and human and asari and salarian and all their natures before the war was over. From war profiteering to theft of supplies to cowardice and avarice and simple blind denial of reality, and everything in between. She hoped the cynicism she felt would not be ground into him too quickly. He did not deserve it.

"Ahh fuck this shit. Tomorrow we're going back into the fight. Tonight's for getting drunk, ladies, humans and gentleturians! To the krogan! To victory!"


	6. Chapter 6

From the air, the human base is unprepossessing. From the ground, it's not much better. Some clean, spare pre-fabs thrown up hastily, a couple of underground bunkers and hangars, a pair of AA guns- in the Hierarchy it would not even be called a base. A young human trooper leads off Dalana to meet the local CO as soon as their shuttle touches down, leaving the rest of them lounge around in the frosty morning air, but not for long, as another human hurries up to them.

"Sorry, sorry. We were still sorting out some accommodation issues. But your billet is ready. Lieutenant-Commander Eriksen asked me to escort you once we realised you were waiting." The young man speaks hurriedly, staring wide-eyed at each of them in turn. He reminds her a little of Carter, back when she'd first met him.

She flicks a glance to him as they shoulder their personal packs and follow their guide, explaining something animatedly to Alvar. He looks happier to be back in Alliance territory, there's definitely a lightness around his shoulders. Tereena wonders if he'll be assigned back to his original unit, and then shies away at that train of thought. Nothing to do with the small knot that forms in her stomach at the thought. Pointless speculation is pointless.

"…yes the N7 special operations teams, also based here." A fragment of conversation from their guide, whom Jorus had just asked a question floats past her, and she hurries forward to hear more.

"An initiative from Admiral Hackett. Small multi-species special operations teams, well-versed in doctrine and tactics, flexible enough to deploy anywhere at any time against all enemies. It's based on Commander Shepard's MO, her away teams. Her deployments are legendary. Ilos, Virmire, Citadel, Purgatory, Omega-4 relay. Well studied back on Earth."

"I see. So there are two of these teams here?" Jorus asks.

"Yes. Well they're not really properly multi-species yet, it's a trial run at the moment. But we do have a- ahh, we're here." They stop outside another standard pre-fab, 6 bunks inside. At least they don't have rotate shifts like on the ship.

"That's the mess, that's the command centre, all the necessary hygiene facilities are in the pre-fab." The human rapidly points at a couple of different nondescript buildings. "Please excuse me, I have to report back to my CO straight away."

They choose bunks inside, but mostly she's ruminating at the information about these special operations teams. What have the Alliance got cooking is? Is her Cabal going to become part of this experiment?

"Yo, I'm going to head to the mess and try and get my first real meal in weeks. Anyone want to join?" Carter is basically itching to go already, by the doorframe. The boys shake their head no, but she gets up and joins him. May as well explore the base a bit more, and stretch her legs.

"Good to be back?" She asks softly as they stride towards the mess.

"Weird, actually. I keep expecting people to snap their mandibles at me instead of smiling." He glances aside at her, and then laughs as she quirks her mandibles almost instinctively in response. "Kidding. I love the mandibles. Seriously. And the little ridge thing on the nose." He rubs his own to demonstrate what he means.

"Freak." She mutters back at him, as they walk up to the door of the mess. It's deserted after the breakfast rush, but Carter is salivating over the coffee machine in the corner, and trots off to make himself one while she finds a seat by the corner. There's only one other person in the mess, and not one she expected. A salarian is sitting by himself in the corner working on something on his omni-tool and talking softly to himself under his breath. She doubts he's even noticed them come in.

She looks up as the door opens again, and a human female walks in, scans the room, nods at her and then does a double-take at Carter.

"Dom! Ohmigod! Dominic Freaking Carter!" The woman basically bounds over to him. She's petite, maybe a half-metre shorter than him, with jet black hair and caramel skin. He turns at the sound of her voice, and then breaks into a huge smile.

"Ana Fernandez, you hellion." He sweeps her into a hug, and she clings to him in turn. Tereena's emerald green eyes turn hard and glitter momentarily, before she looks away and out of the window.

* * *

They chattered animatedly together, old friends (was that all?) catching up. Tereena fiddled with her omni-tool, guiltily ignoring Carter's handwave-invite over. It was petty, and childish and she regretted it almost soon as she had done it. This wasn't like her at all, and she huffed a breath and watched their reflection in the window. The woman…Fernandez, was talking and moving her hands at the same time. A lot. Carter was lounging back in his chair, watching her, occasionally interjecting with his own comment into her story. He looked relaxed. He looked happy. She went back to her omni-tool, then back to the reflection. This was idiotic.

Drawing a deep breath, she got up and stalked over to the salarian. Maybe an actual conversation of her own would help.

"Morning." He looks up at her greeting from the datapad he's been fascinated by ever since they walked in the mess.

"Oh, yes, hello. Taeron Beks, STG, on secondment to the Alliance." His voice is mellifluous.

"Tereena Elandrus. Turian Cabal. Just arrived."

"Excellent, excellent. Turian Cabals known as elite biotic special forces of the Hierarchy. I am glad you've joined us." The salarian nodded approvingly as he spoke. "Unfortunately, you must excuse me. I am in the middle of composing an intelligence report for my superiors back in the in Union." Dammit. There went her distraction. And Carter was waving for her attention again. No ignoring him this time. She padded over to their table.

"Hey Tereena, this is Lieutenant Ana Fernandez. We came up through the Academy together." Tereena looks at her properly for the first time. She has soft features, and large eyes, and a kind smile to boot. Large…chest bumps? What did the humans call them? Anyway, they seemed out of proportion for her short figure. Probably an unattractive trait in their females.

"Ana, this Cabal Specialist Tereena Elandrus. She's from the turian unit I've been serving with since I got stuck on Reltrix like I was saying."

"Pleased to meet you, Tereena." Her voice is clear and musical. Tereena wishes it was atonal and screeching.

"Likewise, Lieutenant." She sits next to Carter as she speaks, one talon unintentionally brushing across his shoulder.

"Please, call me Ana. At least off-duty like we all are."

"Hah. Good luck with that. She has been calling me Carter for weeks." His amused chuckle elicits a quick glare from her.

"Of course Ana. Carter…Dominic." She tastes the way his name sounds in her mouth. It seems strange. Too familiar somehow. "Nope. I like Carter better."

"So, you're a biotic too, then?" Ana asks, taking a sip of coffee.

"Yes. Turian cabals are composed of biotics only. Are you one too?"

"No, total tech geek over here." The human shakes her head as she answers, and her longer hair moves rhythmically, like it has a life of its own. Tereena slides a quick look to see if Carter seems entranced by it. It does not appear so. Strange. "Gimme a drone and an omni-tool any day of the week."

"Nerd." Carter cuts in.

"Wizard." Ana bats back. It has the feel of an old conversation. A history that Tereena doesn't know what to feel about.

"Pfft. Space-magic is the best."

"Only because you get to scarf down junk food all the time and with no regrets. Unlike the rest of us mere mortals."

"Ughhh." Carter groans. "Don't even talk to me about food…I can't wait for lunch. You don't want to know what the Hierarchy serves up as levo-rations." He pauses and then glances sidelong at her.

"What? You couldn't pay me to eat what you got served as food." She quirks her mandibles in a smile. "I do hope the Alliance's hospitality is better."

"I wouldn't bet my last credit on it." Ana interjects drily. Tereena is starting to like the girl, despite herself. But not the doe-eyed looks she's shooting Carter.


	7. Chapter 7

She never got a chance to ask him about any of it, as their return to quarters coincided with Dalana's, which segued into a mission briefing, for the next day no less. Clearly the local Alliance commander believed in a running start. The target was a small Cerberus research facility recently discovered, and simultaneously one of the other teams would be hitting a Cerberus communications relay in an effort to hamper their logistics.

She threw herself into preparations with others, unpacking weapons and armour, checking over thermal clips, ensuring their amps were up to scratch. All thoughts of Carter and possible ex-girlfriends, and her own unexplainable spike of…something (possessiveness? She didn't even know she could feel that) were pushed firmly out of her mind as her talons clicked over grenade gear and counted cyclonic modulators. Intel reports on Cerberus tactics and forces were limited, but they expected to be facing a lot more shielded foes than the Reapers used, and there was some information regarding use of smoke grenades by some units. She ran a talon over the thermal scope mod sitting next to her Phaeston, but decided to forgo it for this first op.

Later, she's sitting outside the hut, typically unable to sleep the night before the op. The others each have their own ways of dealing with it. Alvar pops a couple of sleeping pills and knocks himself out. Dalana tends to compose a letter to her bondmate, or record him a vid-message. Its sweet. Jorus…usually Jorus tries to get laid. He's probably assessed his chances on the base as less than viable, a day into their deployment though, and borrowed or begged a couple of sleeping pills from Alvar.

"Credit for your thoughts."

She glances up and over her shoulder to see Carter standing behind her, eyes and teeth gleaming white in the night. She'd never noticed that about humans- the whites of their eyes. Turians didn't have any. It looked nice.

"Oh nothing. Couldn't sleep as usual. You?" She shuffles over on her bench as she speaks, patting it in unspoken invitation. He accepts, and slides in next to her, all warmth and scent. Woodsmoke and honey. Usually she likes to alone at this time, but his company is…acceptable.

"Yeah. Same. I wasn't bunking with you guys before, back on Reltrix. So me and you huh…"

She looks up at him sharply, wondering at the meaning behind those words, and then glances away almost immediately.

"…the nonsleepers."

"Ahh yes. Old, bad habit for me. Dates right back to my school days. Could never sleep before any exams." She leans forward, languid, watching the silver moonlight play over her talons.

"Brand spanking new habit of mine, apparently. The night before the first op on Reltrix, when we met…I was just lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling all night. Was scared shitless." His voice is a little dreamy, a little hesitant, and she is still. "I was…I dunno. I didn't want to die. And there you were, my big, scary turian war goddess, saving my goddamn ass." He looks at her shyly. She doesn't know what to say. Instead, silently, she bumps his shoulder with hers and nods once. In acknowledgment.

"Maybe I'm infectious." Her voice is a little gruff.

"Well, I wouldn't tell that to the guys you're dating." He teases her, smile flashing. They've backed off from whatever precipice they were on, and all of a sudden she can breathe again.

"You…pyjack. I meant the sleep thing."

"Uh-huh."

They sit there, shoulder-to-shoulder, till she orders them to bed so they are at least a little prepared for the following day.

* * *

"Insertion is hot! I repeat, insertion is hot!" The shuttle pilot's voice crackles over the speakers as the craft screeches over the landing pad. Small arms bursts intermittently from scattered Cerberus troops and Dalana's shouted "Go!" has them in and wreaking havoc before the defenders can fall back and reorganise.

"I'd show her a hot insertion!" Jorus yells over the private squad channel. Tereena rolls her eyes before refocusing on the combat.

She moves fast and hard, stasising one trooper before a burst of Phaeston fire pops his head like a ripe kethor-fruit. Over her shoulder, a singularity flies past, and she can feel the mass effect field ripples from his manipulation. A quick throw leads to a biotic explosion that takes care of two troopers. They move efficiently to clear the pad, and then move on to the doors leading into the facility. The small, dark corridors are perfect for crowd control and area-of-effect explosions, the bread-and-butter of her unit. She runs out of grenades as they clear out a room with two murderous defensive turrets, but before she can say a word, Carter silently hands her two more new ones, and follows up with a burst of Mattock fire onto a sniper trying to angle a shot on Jorus. When the Cerberus unit goes into cover, Dalana strikes, popping off her black head with her shotgun once she flanks the sniper.

"Got a mech there you might wanna look out for." Alvar's voice crackles in their ear.

The ground shakes as the mech manoeuvres out into the open, and they spread out from its ominous looking cannon and missile launcher. Without warning the cannon opens up, and she is caught a little off guard, a split second hesitant, and then she feels his body drive into hers, tackling them both behind cover as bullets chew through the air just instants later where they were standing.

"Can I start keeping count now, as well?" He grins at her boyishly. It would be charming if it wasn't for the gunfire and the smoke and the enemies all around them.

"Kill mech first. Banter later." She hooks a talon over the edge of the cover in its general direction, and he acknowledges her by pushing out a warp field. Her cluster grenades arc perfectly in follow-up, staggering the mech, and taking out a trooper and another sniper. Another Cerberus soldier launches a smoke grenade in their direction.

"Circle left," she orders, and they do, staying low to keep their profiles hidden. Behind them, the mech fires a missile that blows out a wall and seems to have caused some friendly fire damage. Its rear is to them now, and it presents a very attractive weakspot…

The rest of the fight is regulation, if not easy. With the last of the Cerberus forces dead or routed, they move to secure the intelligence in the computers and laboratories, waiting for a full forensic team and security detail to take over for them shortly. Tereena rests against a fallen bulwark, chewing carefully on one of her precious ration bars. That had been close. Too close.

He comes over to sit next to her, but doesn't say anything. Jorus and Alvar are in overwatch positions, and Dalana is briefing the command centre back at home. They are in a little oasis of peace. Still, he doesn't say anything.

She cracks first.

"OK, you can have 1."

"I didn't say anything."

"And yet I heard you. Thinking. I'm still leading, Many to 1."

"Not for long."

"If by that you mean an asari's lifetime, then sure. Not long…"

The dutiful bickering comforts her.


	8. Chapter 8

The shuttle kisses the tarmac of the base gently, a stark contrast to the beginning of their assault hours earlier, and she feels the last knots of tension ease out of her shoulders as her feet touch the ground. Just in front of them, the other team's shuttle has also just arrived, and the salarian Beks is the first out, a massive M-98 Widow sniper rifle incongruous on his wiry frame. He must have some serious genetic or cybernetic mods to tote that beast around, Tereena concluded. No hand-wrestling the STG operative in the future.

Behind him strode two humans, one with a sword on his back of all things. Bizarre. Last out of the other shuttle was Fernandez, who gave her a nod of acknowledgement, and then looked over her shoulder and broke into dazzling smile. Tereena didn't need to turn around to know why. She nodded curtly in return and strode off before she had to witness more awkward human flirting. It was sickening.

"Wait, what're you running off for?" Carter's warm hand on her shoulders stops her in her tracks.

"Oh. I thought I'd leave you to catch up with your friend. Debrief each other." She can't stop the snark from colouring her tone, or the awkward joke. "On your missions." Terrible attempt at an recovery. She quirks her mandibles in embarrassment.

"Huh? Oh Ana. Nah, we'll catch up later." There's no smirk on his face. She's not sure if she's happy the subtext of the conversation has flown over his head or concerned that she has to explain what exactly he's missed.

"Well, then, I'm running off for a shower."

"Damn, me too. But I have to eat first." A brief image flashes through her mind. Carter naked, water running over his chiselled physique…a quick shake of the head snaps her out of it, but he's already walking off towards the mess, with the boys.

Tereena distracts herself by resuming her march back towards their quarters, but she isn't alone for long. Dalana warps in next to her and falls in alongside. Damn vanguards and their mobility. She wanted some time alone to examine exactly what had flashed through her mind, but she wasn't going to be lucky enough to get it.

"Who's the human?" Dalana interrupts her chain of thought.

"Who? Carter?"

"No, the female. The one you were shooting daggers at."

"Oh...no one."

"Really? You stare daggers at random human females for no reason at all? Interesting. I'm sure it had nothing to do with that come-hither smile she shot at Carter."

"Didn't even notice." Tereena hunches her shoulders guiltily and her denial is weak, even to her own hearing.

"Right." Dalana's smug smile tells its own story. "I don't know why you don't put yourself and the poor boy out of your miseries already. And then you won't seem like an idiot when you act all territorial over him."

"He's…no. Too young. And no, I don't like him anyway."

"Riiiiiight."

"It isn't like that."

"Don't wait too long, or I'll lock you two in a shuttle till you figure it out. Or fuck. Or both."

Tereena's shocked speechlessness allows Dalana to trot off after having the last word. Again.

* * *

The pace of operations picks up over the next little while. News of the attempted Cerberus-backed coup on the Citadel clearly has the strategists riled with the organisation, and there are raids against the numerous Cerberus facilities on the planet almost daily, rotating the teams through them.

Dalana is too slow getting away from a grenade and shrapnel her arms torn up and her on medical rest early on, leaving Tereena in temporary command of the four of them. She's not exactly overwhelmed, but there is suddenly a lot more on her plate. Enough to make her realise the tough job Dalana does juggling everything, from requisitioning supplies in time to squeezing out as much intel as possible to looking after the boys- making sure they were in fighting health, and sleeping well, and not getting burnt out too much, too fast with their biotics or even psychologically.

So when she drags herself into the mess late one night, after yet another raid, this time on a Cerberus armoury, from where they had liberated a ton of shiny, new weapons, she is exhausted. She had her eye on one of the Harrier assault rifles if they got to keep a crate or two of the new toys while the rest would be shipped off to help with the wider war effort.

Collapsing into an empty seat just emphasise the weariness in her bones, the tight muscles under her plates knotted hard. Stretching does not ease the burden.

"Tereena."

She looks up sharply at the voice, so tired she's even missed that the mess has another occupant.

"Taeron." She acknowledges the salarian with a brief nod, as he makes his way over to sit with her.

"What are you doing here this late?" Her tired green eyes track the shrug of the shoulders from him.

"My room-mate asked me to leave for a couple of hours. Wanted her privacy. Naturally, I acquiesced." His movements are measure and précised. Practiced. She wonders if that derives from his sniper training. "I believe she wanted to have a romantic encounter."

"Oh?" Ah base gossip. Who was sleeping with who. What wanted who. Who was jealo- yes. Base gossip never changed. "Who's your roommate?"

"Lt. Fernandez. I believe you two are acquainted. Curious thing, this sex drive. Seems to be a strangely powerful imperative amongst humans. Must be very annoying to deal with. Their scientists really should look into some kind of hormone inhibitors so people can lead fulfilling, healthy lives without struggling with it."

Salarians.

Then it struck her. Fernandez? With Carter missing most of the evening? Her stomach sunk as the math added up. She struggled to be happy for him. He was young, he was carefree, there was a war on, and probably a very attractive member of his species was into him. Why shouldn't he enjoy it. Like Dalana had mentioned, it wasn't like she had any claim on him. Or wanted to.

"You alright there? Looking somewhat pale." The salarian's eyes are too perceptive, and she quirks her mandibles into a tired and obviously fake smile.

"Just exhausted. Going to head to my bunk, I think." She prays to the spirits he accepts her statement and face value, and he does, letting her go with a wave of the hand.

Her feet feel leaden on the way back to their room, and she isn't sure if its from her tiredness or from what she's just heard. The base is dark and there is just a sliver of moonlight, so the movement at the door catches her off-guard.

"Carter?" She can't keep the note of surprise, and even a little delight, out of her voice.

"Was wondering where you were. Figured I'd wait up till you came back. Have something for you." He hands a small block of something, and she scents the wonderful rich aroma of proper, high quality dextro-chocolate.

"Whe…?"

"Been playing Skyllian Five with boys all night. Cleaned Jorus out, and he gave me this lieu of some creds."

"Thanks. I mean it." Before she can stop herself, she leans in a wraps an arm around him, mandible against warm cheek in the briefest of hugs. Silently they go in and get into bed, and sleep overwhelms her almost immediately. Her last thought is about the fact he preferred to take his winnings in form of a gift for her, instead of credits.

Her dreams are most pleasant that night.


	9. Chapter 9

The chocolate is delicious. Probably some of the stash that Jorus had squirreled away on Reltrix and brought with them. She savours each tiny bite on the shuttle, eyes glinting amusedly at the dirty looks Jorus shoots her. Her tongue flicks out to trace her teeth and the edges of her mandibles, but then she catches the look Carter is giving her, eyes absolutely transfixed. Its…nice.

Jorus swings over to sit next to her.

"Heard from your brother?" She asks him.

"Yeah. Krogan landings on Palaven have helped push Reaper troops back a lot. Lots more civilians have been evacuated."

"What about him?"

"No, he's staying back. Providing medical support to the troops." Jorus shrugs. Turians will always do their duty. She nods understandingly.

"Feels like the real war is out there, you know. Goddamn Cerberus." He shakes his in disgust, fringe slapping against the wall of shuttle.

"I hear that. Still, this lot are definitely up to no good. Now we're stealing Reaper indoctrination devices from their labs? Insanity." Disbelief covers her voice as takes another bite out of the chocolate. Jorus definitely notices.

"Why are you intent on teasing me with my own chocolate?"

"Because watching that hungry look flit across your face is funny." Her tone is dry, but the green eyes sparkle.

"I hate you. I had to trade Alvar two weeks of cleaning guns for that chocolate."

"Shouldn't have wagered it then."

"How was I supposed to know the colony kid is a mean cardshark at Skyllian Five." He grumbles, then shoots a glare at Carter. The human mimes a total innocent face. It's not very subtle.

"He does have…hidden depths."

"I'll say." He slides her a sly glance. "Taking dextro-chocolate instead of credits as winnings, hmmm…"

Turians can't blush. She's read about blushing recently. She's been reading about humans in general a little. Not research, exactly. More like background knowledge. She knows Carter can blush, but his skin is too dark for it to be seen. Shame. She can't blush, but she can draw her mandibles tight, and Jorus chuckles when he notices it.

"What, moonlit strolls, midnight sparring sessions, his puppydog eyes, your jealousy over his female friend…you think you're being subtle? Maybe only to each other."

"I…it's not like that."

"Oh please, I have 500 credits and a shotgun amp riding on a bet with Alvar that you two hook up before we leave the planet. He thinks you're too uptight and Dom's too clueless to do anything before our next posting though."

"Shut up." She hisses, eyes flicking over to Carter to ensure he can't hear. His earbuds are safely in, listening to his godawful "country" music though. She really needs to introduce him to some proper turian battle anthems. And maybe the Vaenia sound-track.

"C'mon, I'll split the winnings with you?" He inclines his head in a suggestive manner in Carter's direction. "The kid will love it."

"We are NOT having this conversation." She pointedly finishes of the last of her chocolate that she has brought with her, and puts in headphones, ignoring his smirk.

Her eyes rest on Carter, who has closed his own eyes and is leaned back into his seat. He has come long way since that first shuttle trip when he was racked with nerves. Now he's a combat veteran, though he hasn't really lost much of that boyish charm. Right now, resting, the lines in his face have disappeared, leaving smooth skin that glows slightly under the shuttle's harsh lighting. It had surprisingly nice against her mandible when she'd hugged him. Warm, and soft. Not very turian, but still…tempting. To run her talons over it. Feel it pulse and beat under her touch.

The pilot's warning that they are about to hit focusses her mind on the mission. It's a temporary fix, she knows.

* * *

"Catch you later, Dom."

Tereena paused at the entry to the firing range-cum-armoury, recognising Ana's sweet voice. Moments later, she walked out of the doorway, flashing Tereena a smile in greeting, but hurrying on. Walking inside, she found Carter lounging around in front of the armoury office. The smile on his face was broad and his eyes perceptibly brighter on seeing her, and she quirked her mandibles into a smile back in turn.

"Hey, come to play with our shiny new toys, too?" The armoury desk is unattended at the moment, giving them a modicum of privacy.

"Yeah, I got my eyes on one of those Talon pistols. Let's give those Cerberus bastards a taste of their own medicine." He mimes firing one of the shotgun-pistols with his hands.

"Yes. I want one of the Harriers myself."

"Cool. Might be a bit heavy, cooldown wise?"

"That's what I want to test in the range."

Her eyes flick over to the door to the range. While they spent more than few hours together at the range on Reltrix, they haven't had the time in recent weeks. Practice has come in actual missions rather than on the base. She doesn't even know what kind of range the humans have built, what the inside of it looks like.

"Yeah, Ana was just in there, she tells me it's pretty good." She turns her head and eyes him thoughtfully at his mention of Ana's name.

"So, you two were pretty close back at the Academy?" She tries to keep her tone casual. Just a bit of friendly interest, nothing more.

"Yeah. Her best friend and my roommate started dating pretty early on, so we got used to hanging out together. She used to come watch us play biotiball for the Academy team and everything."

"…so long were you two, you know…together?" She watches him take a moment to process the question, brows furrowed. Then a cheeky grin breaks out onto his face, followed by a hearty chuckle. Now she's confused by his reaction, and crosses her arms defensively.

"It...haha, it wasn't like THAT." He's having trouble getting the words out between snorts. "We were just friends. She, umm, how do I put this? You're more her type than I am, if you know what I mean."

"She likes turians?" A strangely popular fetish amongst some humans, she'd heard.

"No, no. She likes women."

"Oh." A sense of relief spreads through her, and that tight knot that has been residing in inside her stomach without her even knowing it dissolves rapidly. "You two were very affectionate in public. And many relationships start in officer training. It's where I met Dex." She flared her mandibles and gave a small, embarrassed shrug.

"No, it's fine." He glances down at the ground, then takes a quick breath and squares his shoulders, as if steeling himself for something. "So, uhh, how long were you married? Bonded?"

She hadn't expected that. "A long time. Not long. Depends how you think about it. 5 years."

"…I see. And, umm, how long since…"

"2 years." She stares out the window, letting long –buried memories and feelings roll through her, however briefly. Love. Anger. Pain. Joy. Her bonding had dragged her through them all in turn. He must have sensed what she was thinking about as he backed off from further questions. She thought she had buried a part of herself when it had come to an end, had redoubled her commitment to the Cabal. Her eyes flicked over to the younger man standing at her sight, features still, eyes inquisitive.

Not buried deep enough, it seemed.

* * *

_Want to thank people for the comments, they are really the lifeblood of any author on this site, keeps going, keeps us excited. Please keep reviewing this and any other story from anyone else you're reading :)_


	10. Chapter 10

Another mission, another night where she can't sleep. Dalana is due to return to duty soon, and selfishly, she can't wait. Not just for the reams of paperwork to vanish, but also maybe it will help ease the knots under shoulder plates. The base is quiet and empty in the night, the air slightly chilly but not unpleasantly so given she's wrapped up well. Near the shuttle bay across the road from where she's taking her midnight stroll, she notices an asari trying to sneak back to her quarters and failing as a result of trying. Tereena had heard a couple of commandos had arrived from Thessia as the asari had finally decided to lend a hand in the war. It was about damn time.

The rumours and news weren't good, as ever. Shepard and the Normandy were reportedly spotted near the Perseus Veil. It seemed an odd time to hare off into the geth-quarian conflict and whatever issues they had brewing, but you had to trust Shepard knew what she was doing. She generally did. Locally, the pace of the missions against the Cerberus presence has been hectic and exhausting, but at least they're making a difference. The resistance to their latest strikes has been noticeably weaker, and Cerberus evac shuttles have been noticed and even shot out of the sky at points. Still there, is more work to be done here.

Her stroll takes her to the square patch of grass that's kept free in the base. It's too modest to be called a park, but it's better than nothing. Usually it is quite busy during the day, but free in the evenings like tonight. Well free but for one person. He's sitting with his back to her on the bench, torso cradled over something she can't quite make out in the dark.

"Hey." She trails two talons over the nape of his neck, and shoulder, enjoying the warmth, and slight shiver that runs across him and jolts up her arm like a small electrical shock. They usually meet here on the nights before missions now, having come to a silent understanding that neither can sleep, and that each prefers the other's company to being alone. Sometimes he brings food, or drinks. Sometimes she does. Sometimes they talk. Sometimes they just sit in companionable silence.

"Hey." He glances up at her briefly, flashing a smile, but returns quickly back to whatever he has in his lap. She walks around the bench and sees it. It's a wooden object of some kind, rounded and broad at one end, and tapering to a narrow strut at the other, with some strings running along the main spar. Then, as she sits next to him, one of those long, dark fingers gently plucks a couple of strings, and liquid grace rises out of the instrument. So, this was what human music was played on. He looks up at her, grins again at the fascinated expression on her face as she stares at the instrument, then leans back and plays a series of notes, fingers dancing over the strings as if they had a life of their own.

The music is quite different to most turian music, softer and mellower and far more melodic. Of course, turian talons could never play an instrument like this.

"Keep going." Her eyes plead with him too.

"Sure. Whatever the lady wants." He's different with the instrument in his hands. Cockier, more self-assured. More in his element. He holds it with the easy experience of one who has been holding one for many, many years, and Tereena has to acknowledge that it is kind of a turn-on.

"Wait, before you start. What is it, and how did you get one?" She interrupted him with a brush of her talon on his forearm, his skin warm in the cool night air. She hadn't needed to do that. She couldn't help it.

"It's called a guitar. One of the local civvies had it, bought it off him for a few creds. Haven't played since I left the Academy. I own two back home." His voice is slightly dreamy as he runs his fingers over the wooden curves. There is love in that voice, in that gesture. She nods slowly, understanding. A regal incline of her head indicates he should start playing.

His fingers go back to plucking the strings, slowly at first, then faster. He bows his head in concentration as the first notes of the song float into the air. It is beautiful. She closes her eyes and lets the music surround her, silvery and warm like a blanket settling over her skin. She is unsurprised when he starts crooning along. Somehow, she knew he would sing too. His voice is soft but clear, and well in tune.

The words wash over her at first, she's just enjoying the music and company and the warm glow at the base of her stomach that is slowly spreading to the rest of her body. But then she tunes in to his words, what he's actually singing.

_Back beat, the word was on the street_

_That the fire in your heart is out_

Chills ran up her plates and she slid her eyes sideways to glance at him. He was still focussed on the…guitar, but she wondered how deliberate the song choice was.

_I don't believe that anybody_

_Feels the way I do about you now_

Words bubble up her throat, but stay there as the song winds itself around her, settling into skin and bones. His voice croons into the night, crystal and glass, like the skyscrapers of Cipritine.

_And all the roads we have to walk are winding_

_And all the lights that lead us there are blinding_

_There are many things that I_

_Would like to say to you but I don't know how_

This time she feels his eyes on her, and looks up to meet them, dark pools of liquid, fathomless, full of meaning. No one has looked like that at her in long time, If ever. She wonders if her eyes look the same to him.

_Because maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me_

_And after all, you're my wonderwall_

A slight breeze blows through the garden, sliding past the nape of her neck and against her fringe. She doesn't know this word 'wonderwall', which the translator software cannot find a match for. Later, she'll have to search its meaning on her omni-tool.

She stops, stops trying to analyse what is happening, stops trying to understand all the nuances and meaning. Time enough for that later. For now, she lets the song wash over her, lets his voice wash over her, the music surrounds them both, cocoons them in their own little world. It feels like a piece of heaven, mana that she hasn't tasted in an age, unlocking something inside her she didn't even know was locked up. Locked up so tight she had thrown away the key.

_I said maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me_

_You're gonna be the one that saves me_

_You're gonna be the one that saves me_

She wondered if he was singing to her, or for her. The last of the notes from the song hung briefly between them, before shimmering away, and she could feel the spell he'd craft drifting away, bringing them back into the real world. She had no words. Her eyes glittered bright green with feelings checked by sheer force of habit.

He smiled at her, a small, almost sad smile, before getting up.

"Time for me to hit the sheets." Before she knew it, he'd turned to her, palm of his hand settling gently against her jaw thumb curving along the scar on her fringe, and she felt her breath quicken just a tad. He dropped his lips on her forehead, a simple brush on across the plate, and almost before it had begun it was over and he was stepping away from her. The loss of his physical proximity almost had her grabbing his wrist to bring him back.

"Good night, Tereena." He faded into the night.

Minutes passed.

"Good night, Dominic."

* * *

**A/N:** The song is Wonderwall by Oasis, and there are some amazing acoustic covers on youtube.


	11. Chapter 11

"You…sang her a song? Is that some kind of strange human courting ritual?" There is a tone of bewilderment in Jorus' voice that makes Tereena hover outside the door. Well there's also the actual substance of his words. She hates eavesdropping, but this is far too important a conversation to pass up, so she pauses and withdraws slight from the doorway to their quarters, and starts running some basic biotic mnemonic and control exercises. Plausible deniability.

"Well, I don't know if I would call it courting exactly." Carter's voice is muffled, and she quirks her mandibles in frustration. Had she been misreading their recent interactions? Had she been tying herself in knots over nothing?

"Really? So you don't find her waist really, really supportive? Or stare at her fringe when you think no one is looking?" She runs a talon along the side of her fringe, flaring out to the side of the head. The one with the scar. Carter stared at that? Really? She hadn't managed to notice that.

His reply is unfortunately a soft mumble that she can't quite hear, despite straining to.

"Well, maybe you have to step up your game, turian-style." Jorus is coming through loud and clear, at least. "Listen, the thing with Tereena is…"

Uh-oh.

"She's been hurt. She's been through a lot, we all have. The cabal got worked hard, even before the war. We all deal with it in different ways. I'm a party animal. She's…closed-off. But she likes you. I can tell."

Another mumbled reply from Carter. Damn that man, his voice had been perfectly clear when he was singing a few nights back.

"Well, no one expected her to be a xenophile. Least of all herself, I think. But you have a shot. If you don't fuck it up. So take my advice."

Here it comes. Whatever ludicrous scheme Jorus has probably cooked up to win a bet. The idiot. She's going to separate his head from his shoulders with her own damn talons after this, for meddling.

"No, there's a more classic indication of interest amongst turians. You have to cook for her. Provide her a meal. That's the number one, beyond any reasonable doubt, yes-let's-get-it-on sign for us."

"I have to cook…a dextro meal?" There's a strangled edge to Carter's voice. It'd be funny if Jorus wasn't actually right.

"Yes. I can give you all the instructions and ingredients, but you HAVE to cook. I made my ex a full 3-course banquet including some killer Kivoshian Brandy Cake when I wanted us to get official. Sealed the deal." Jorus is smug as he recounts his story, and it drags the memory unbidden from the back of her mind- 3 hours spent in the old kitchen, laboriously teaching him to mix the batter and alcohol properly, the look of pathetic thanks on his face when he managed to get it right. And now he's claiming all solo credit. Another reason to kill him. With her bare talons.

"I'll probably end up killing her."

"That would not be a successful courting strategy."

Tereena rolls her eyes and gets up. Time to put a stop to this before it gets any further. But as she rises, Dalana turns around the corner and finds her there.

"Oh good, you're here. Get armoured up. We're heading out quicksmart. Short-notice mission." Her command voice is clipped and brusque, not to be brooked with, and Tereena knows this must be serious. The older woman walks inside the quarters to relay the orders to the others, and she knows she's missed another opportunity to have that all important conversation.

No matter. After the mission she is going to take this thing by the scruff of the neck.

* * *

Perhaps it's not surprising they've become a little complacent. They've run successful operation after successful operation against Cerberus forces on the planet for a while now, having slowly assaulted their network of hidden bases, armouries, research laboratories and more in turn, driving them slowly off world. Hundreds of troops and scores of Atlases have fallen before their guns, grenades and biotics.

This mission is hasty, unplanned, the intel is scarce. They need to hit a comm relay before Cerberus shuts it down, to hack and access some necessary data on Cerberus movements and tracking data. They don't know what kind of opposition they'll face. Spirits be damned, Tereena doesn't even have a full bandolier of cluster grenades, as they'd had to race from the armoury to the shuttle with whatever was lying nearby.

The initial infiltration into the base is straightforward, and with two separate computer clusters to be accessed, and the light initial resistance, Dalana orders them to split into two teams and do them at the same time. That's when it turns into a complete fucking shower of shit.

"We have company." Jorus' voice is terse over the omni-tool.

"Need back-up?" Dalana's omni-tool is the latest and most-powerful version, so she's doing the hacking while Tereena and Carter cover her. They haven't seen hide nor hair of Cerberus forces themselves as they wait in cover, Harrier rifle and Talon pistol in hand respectively.

"Shit. Fuck, Alvar, watch the grenades. YES. Send backup. NOW!"

Tereena is up and moving before Jorus even stops moving, Carter seconds behind her. Dalana nods at the direction that Alvar and Jorus are, indicating they should go, and the two of them take off at a spring through the corridor. The base is dusty and scattered with detritus indicating it was hastily-abandoned bar for the few troopers they had dispatched summarily upon entering, but Tereena had known it was too good to be true.

The corridor snakes left, and the sounds of gunfire and biotics reach them and they double their pace. A grenade booms loudly, reverberating through the walls. That sounds like more than just token resistance. That sounds like a full-on firefight.

They stop short of the last doorway and peek around the corner. Jorus and Alvar are holed up in the back, pinned by Cerberus forces. But the two of them can flank the Cerberus troops, and proceed to do so in sync, Tereena throwing out a cluster grenade as soon as Carter's singularity traps a couple of troopers and both of them follow up with quick headshots. They fall back into cover, and methodically chew through the rest of the troops, but switching her attention back to the two turians, Tereena suddenly notices a heretofore unseen assailant join the fray.

The next few moments seem to happen in slow motion. The new combatant is lithe and deadly, and can cloak like an infiltrator. She drops behind Jorus, whose attention is fixed on an Atlas mech that has just appeared on the other side of the room, and Tereena's shout of warning is drowned out by the first rocket it fires. Tereena takes off sprinting towards them, Carter on her heels. The Cerberus infiltrator moves behind Jorus' back like a phantom, then swings…a sword? A sword that cuts right through his barriers and slices into his back, making Jorus stagger. Tereena is trying to release a stasis field, firing off her mnemonic, but she's too slow, too fucking slow…the sword slices across then down and up into Jorus' stomach, his eyes frozen in shock and pain, the blade slicing through his armour as if it was not even there. A split second later her stasis field lands, catching the Cerberus bitch in mid-flip. A single burst of fire from Carter's pistol splits her head open.

They slide into cover and she can't do anything about the body, can't check it, can't use medi-gel, because the Atlas is still there, whirring death and destruction. Alvar, on the other hand, can't help himself and runs straight into the open like an idiot. Before she can do something, Carter has whipped out his Cobra missile and fired. It's too late. The Atlas pilot has locked on and fired at Alvar, his rocket whooshing out a second before Carter's hits the mech, turning it into scrap metal.

In the space of minutes, her world has turned upside down. She locks herself down, turns herself into a robot, mechanically orders Carter to finish off the hack while she slaps some emergency medigel on Alvar. He looks bad enough, burnt and bloodied. Jorus…Jorus has no heartbeat.

She almost sleepwalks her way through the report to Dalana and the subsequent arrival of the extraction shuttle.

Jorus is dead. Alvar is hovering at death's door. She can't think. She can't speak. The numbness that runs through her is like a river of cold and dark. The three of them don't catch each other's' eyes. The shuttle ride home is in tomblike silence.


	12. Chapter 12

The brutal, bony silence refuses to leave. Alvar is rushed off for medical aid, Dalana trudges off for debriefing and endless rounds of paperwork, and Carter…she casts around for Carter, but he too has disappeared. Alone with her thoughts and memories rattling around in her head, Tereena walks around the base in a daze.

_Jorus showing off his brand new Tuchanka-made hiking boots. Jorus drinking all the rum that was supposed to go into the cake they were baking. Jorus taking her out on the town after the break up with Dex, getting her mind off things. Jorus winning her last centicred the day before shore leave, then buying her gifts with the money won at the casino while she moped on base._

_Alvar, always the partner in crime, acquiring all the things she needed which weren't exactly base legal. Punching out that idiot who wouldn't leave her alone at the bar so she didn't have to get her talons dirty. Who always came to her bereft of ideas for his sisters' birthdays._

Dusk greets her at the entrance to their quarters. On a normal day she'd have eaten her fill, refuelled from her biotic stress during the mission. Today the thought turns her stomach, her mouth tasting ashes at the thought. The cold, the tiring, chilling cold that has envenomed her since they came back won't dissipate.

The room is dark and silent and mocking the lack of her cabalmates. Dalana will either be calling her bondmate, or getting shitfaced drunk alone. They all have their ways to cope. Tereena contemplates fleeing, but where could she go on this small human base? Instead she wraps herself up in her bed, eyes staring out into the void, the peace of sleep a blessing that she is not granted.

The door creaks open, and she knows it's him by the clomp of his boots and rhythm of his breathing and the very…Carter-ness of his presence. She could pretend to be sleeping but he knows better, and she knows he knows. So she rolls over, and makes eye contact.

"Where were you?" _I missed you._ "I was wondering?"

"Thought you might have needed some space." He moves closer to her bunk, and she automatically shifts aside, letting him sit. His back is warm against her thighs. The first warm thing she's felt all day, as he unlaces his boots. She can't help it. She needs to touch him. To feel his warmth. To remind herself of what life is. Her talons stroke the his broad, muscled back and tighten imperceptibly when he goes to get up.

His chocolate brown eyes meet her glittering green ones. _Are you sure?_ The question floats over their semi-telepathic connection. She isn't. She has never been less sure of anything in her life. But she wants him to stay. Might even need him to stay.

"Stay." She manages to choke out, and shifts her body back even further.

He leans down and lies next to her, and she nestles against his back, against the warm, leaching all she can from him so the cold will unwind from her spine, will give her back her body. One arm loosely drapes over his shoulder. His skin really is remarkably soft.

"This is nice." She murmurs into his neck. "Keep your pants on, mind."

"Wasn't planning on taking them off."

"Good."

"Can I be big spoon later?"

"We'll see, but probably not."

Already sleep is ghosting over her, long overdue. His fingers stroke against the talons she has laid on his chest, his smoked wood and honey scent drifting around her like a second blanket.

She dreams of death, but at least they are dreams and not nightmares.

* * *

"How is he?"

She lounges against the door of the small office Dalana has been assigned, leg spurs tapping against the frame and betraying her seemingly-casual demeanour.

"He's stable, but in a coma. He'll probably lose an arm." Dalana pauses for a moment, then sighs. "They've done all they can here, but they just don't have the right equipment and training to treat turians properly. I've arranged to get him transferred to Huerta Memorial on the Citadel."

"And…" Tereena clears her throat, trying to get the words unstuck. "Are we getting, you know? A replacement?" The words feel dirty. No one could ever replace Jorus or Alvar, not in a million years. But the inexorable reality of war cannot be avoided.

"Not right away. The Cabal is off active-duty at the moment…"

"I sense a 'but' at the end of that sentence."

"There's a request for experienced N7 operatives to join a combat engineering team temporarily. I'm going recommend you and Carter." Dalana holds up a talon to head off any protests. "In return, I'm also allowing the two of you some shore leave afterwards. You've earned it. In the meanwhile they should get around to assigning us some new people."

Tereena sighs. Dalana's mind is obviously made up.

"What engineering team? We're biotics. What good will we do?"

"Captain Lee Riley is leading a combined team to look into some strange attacks on fuel processing plant on Cyone. She has asked for extra operatives with combat experience against Reaper ground forces."

_Hence me and Dominic_. Her mind fills in the blank on its own. Shore leave does sound tempting though. They've been in the fight for months. Burnout is a real fear for all soldiers

"When do we leave?"

"There will be a quarian transport ship arriving in the next few days. You and Carter can hitch a ride with it to Cyone."

"Wha-?" The offhand announcement catches her by surprise and she quirks her mandibles at Dalana in response. The quarians hadn't been involved at all so far, too busy with their idiotic vendetta against the geth.

"Shepard. She does three impossible things before breakfast every day, I hear." Dalana waves her talons airily. "Managed to force the quarians and geth into some sort of peace and convinced them to fight."

"…I'm not even shocked." Tereena remarked drily.

"So thus, quarian transport. Go tell Carter at some point. Dismissed."

Tereena sketches a lazy salute and walks out. Carter told her he was going to be at the poky little gym on base. They hadn't really talked about what had happened a few nights ago. She'd woken up and he'd already left for his morning run. There had been an unspoken agreement in the air between them not to talk about it. Not yet. Not to crush the fragile glass bridge they were building by putting unnecessary weight on it. She was fine with that. That pull between them, that gravity that drew them together into each other's orbit…she knew he felt it too. They had time to figure out the rest later.

Her feet naturally gravitated towards the medbay though. She'd been into see Alvar once a day so far. Every time the medical staff had turned her back. Maybe this time they'd let her in.


	13. Chapter 13

The quarians have sectioned off an entire part of the ship for all non-quarian personnel. The ship's captain welcomed them onboard the _Kassai_ with a brief speech over the intercom, and there's armed guards standing at the bulkhead which separates the non-quarian section from the rest of the ship. It feels bizarrely like being imprisoned. Carter's settled in easier than she has, relaxing in his bunk, reading something on his omnitool. The picture of calm. She's uneasy, feels trapped, needs to move around beyond this small room they've been assigned. Next door there's a toilet and a small shower, a kitchenette, and then more bunks on the other side of the corridor. A few other N7 operatives are also being transferred, or sent home, or what have you.

"You OK?" He quirks an…eyebrow at her inquisitively, putting aside his omnitool for the moment. She must have been really projecting her unease. Or maybe not. He can read her very well sometimes, uncannily so.

"Yes. No." She shrugs her shoulders at him. "I don't know. Feels weird."

"What does?"

"Going to a mission without the others." She leans against the cool metal of the doorway, leg spurs bending back slightly from the pressure.

"Been with them forever, right?" His voice is gentle, and she closes her eyes, allows herself to reminisce.

"Since I graduated from biotic training, yes. Fresh kid, 20 years old and ready to rock the world." Her voice has dropped subconsciously to almost a whisper, talking about things she never, ever talks about.

"Alvar and Dalana were already part of the crew, Jorus came a little later. The commander at the time was the crusty old bastard from Cipritine high society. Caldus Venerix, a right bastard. Old friend of Desolas Arterius- Saren's more vicious brother. Had fought at the Relay 314 Incident."

"Didn't get along I take it?"

She shrugs. "Was an old school commander. Threw you in the deep end. One of our first missions was assaulting a batarian slaver base. I took point."

There is a pregnant pause in the air. Her talons brush the scar that runs along her fringe, silvery white against the grey-green of her plates.

"That's where I got this. Four-eyed bastard clipped me when I froze up. Dalana saved my ass. The place was…disgusting. We found over a dozen people locked up. Abused. Turians, asari, humans. Even an elcor." Cold anger laces through her voice now, eyes turning to stone at the memory.

He waits, saying nothing, knowing she'll continue.

"We captured three of the batarians alive. Venerix ordered me to shoot them." She remembers the pale dawn that had hung over the base, her talons poised against the trigger, the rest of the Cabal watching on. "The Hierarchy has some pretty strict laws about slavery. Venerix was well within his rights and following standard operating procedure."

"I..see." There is no judgment in his voice. Or maybe there is and she doesn't want to hear it. Tereena swallows dryly.

"So I did it. One round to the forehead each. Then promptly threw up around the corner. Alvar and Dalana got me drunk that night, looked after me, talked me through it. Became my family."

He doesn't say anything, simply gets up and pads over to her, reaching out to brush a shoulder with his fingers.

"So yeah, I feel weird. Naked almost."

He gently pulls her into a hug, and she falls into gracefully. It's brief, but it's nice. Just what she needed, despite not knowing it.

"Thanks."

"Any time. Always."

* * *

"Welcome to Cyone, Operative Elandrus. Lieutenant Carter. Glad to have you."

Tereena's first impression of Riley is that she is…imposing. A match for both her and Carter in height, and strongly built, probably only slightly less broad-shouldered than Carter himself. Dirty-yellow hair is cropped short and muddy brown eyes appraise them over a nose that is misshapen enough to indicate it was broken and never set right.

"Not much time to settle in I'm afraid. Asari forces here are stretched, hence why the fuel reactor we're going in after is undefended at the moment. I understand you two have considerable experience against Reaper ground troops?"

"Yes ma'am." Carter nods sharply.

"Correct." Tereena agrees with him a moment later.

"Good. My team are good, but they're inexperienced. Having two veteran N7 operatives take point will be a huge help."

"Glad we can assist." Tereena inclines her head mandible quirking into a tired smile.

"Hopefully we'll deploy within 48 hours. Not sure how long things will take down there to sort out, but once the immediate threat has passed, I'll release you to your well-earned shore leave." Riley nods understandingly.

"Appreciate that, Captain."

"OK, I'll ping your omni-tools with an update when things are a little more organised. You've been assigned temporary officers' quarters in Block 8-F."

"Understood."

They stop briefly outside her door, sharing a look.

"What do you think?" She keeps her voice low as they start walking towards their assigned quarters.

"She's not Dalana, but seems competent. Would like to meet and assess the rest of her team. If they're as green as she implies…" Carter's voice trails off. It still startles her a little sometimes, how much of a veteran he is. Maybe because she's been right next to him as he's grown from that nervous young rookie on the first mission and so has missed the wood for the trees. But now he walks and talks with the easy experience of someone who has been through the wringer, and come out the other side the stronger. Combat has been known to make or break people, find out if their character is hard and brittle or strong but adaptable. Whether they can carry the tension or compression, or whether the load will be too much for them. He carries it. The tightness around his eyes, the slight hunch in his back shows where he carries it, but he doesn't let it sink him into the mud.

"So." His voice breaks her stream of thought and her frills warm slightly at how easily she's been distracted.

"So?" She clears her throat, eyes purposely driving away from him, searching for where they're meant to be going. The base is a staging area for front-line operating, busy with asari commandos in armour and leather striding around. They're both eyed speculatively. Tereena sighs. Asari.

"I think we're down this corridor."

"Oh, yes." They turn the corner, gain a modicum of privacy.

"Plans for shore leave?" His voice is a little diffident, a little nervous as he broaches the topic. Honestly she hasn't given it much thought. Events have spiralled and she has basically devoted herself to just getting through the next challenge.

"No. You?"

"I'm thinking Citadel. Jen's there. I've never been before. Could be my last chance." He shrugs. It makes sense. If there was ever time to cross things off one's list, it's now.

"Citadel's nice. I haven't been some time myself."

"Well I was thinking…"

He stops, turns to face her, broad fingers and warm palm brushing against her shoulder.

"You could come with me?"

She freezes. Is he asking…? Is it too soon? Should they really? It's not the wisest idea. Her thoughts whirl through her head as his eyes capture hers, that the rich chocolate colour easy to get lost in.

"I mean, nothing like- I mean I just thought it would be nice, you know?"

Now she's confused. What does he want? Her? Her friendship? What does she want? The question they've been dancing around for weeks now.

"Just think about it."

"I will." A nothing answer. She's almost ashamed at her lack of courage.


End file.
